Jenny's Letter
by JillSwinburne
Summary: After Jenny dies Forrest finds a letter addressed to Lietenant Dan.


I'm a big fan of Lieutenant Dan and I wanted to do a little fic about what he means to Forrest. Hope you like.

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The day that Dan got the letter to say that Jenny was dead he cried like a baby. He hadn't cried in over twenty years but that day he couldn't help himself and all Susan's kisses couldn't wash the tears away.

The letter itself was simple and written in Forrest's familiar round, careful script. It said;

"Dear Lieutenant Dan, (because Forrest could never be persuaded to call him anything else) I am writing to tell you that Jenny died on Tuesday last. She had been very sick for a while but I think you knew that. She passed away in her sleep, all nice and quiet like, and the Doctor said that she wasn't in any pain which is a good thing.

We buried her under the big willow in the field behind our house and the preacher said some nice things about Heaven and how she was with the angels now. Now I don't know for sure but I reckon she's probably part of that heavenly choir they's always talking about because she was a real good singer.

Little Forrest was real brave and held my hand good and tight through the whole thing; Jenny would've been real proud of him. He goes back to school next week. Everything else here is fine.

Hoping you and Susan are well.

Yours, Forrest Gump (Snr)."

The ink was a little blotchy in places and Dan could see where he'd had to cross out words and write them over again. Right at the bottom of the paper there was a post-script.

"P.S We found this letter on her dressing table. It's addressed to you but I guess she never got a chance to post it. I sent it along for you."

The other letter was written on pale blue paper and smelled sweet like flowers and cotton. It was written in blue ink with a slightly shaky hand.

"To my very dear Lieutenant Dan,

I call you very dear because, although I don't know you that well personally, you are so very dear to Forrest that I can't help but feel you have become dear to me too. I'm sick; I'm sure you know that. I looked dreadful the last time you and Susan came to visit and what with the Doctor poking his head around the door every other day I guess it can't have been hard to put two and two together. Whatever it is they can't fix it so I'm writing you this letter while I still have time.

I'm writing because there's something very important I want to ask you. I'm not very good with words so I guess I'll just say it as plain and simple as I can. Look after Forrest when I'm gone, please? He's a good man, I know that; heck, I wouldn't have married him if he wasn't. He is a good man, but he has his little problems and I just want to make sure that there's someone there to look out for him that he trusts.

Little Forrest will be just fine. He's a very smart little boy and Forrest is a wonderful daddy but he never had a father himself. I know his momma always said he was away on vacation but my grandma told me that he walked out on her before Forrest was even born. When Forrest was a kid he didn't have no one to look out for him the way a father should, until he met you.

I guess that sounds kind of daffy, what with you being not much older than Forrest yourself but he told me about how you looked after everyone out in Vietnam and how you took care of him that Christmas he was in New York. He told me how you took him in even though you didn't have to and about how you showed up down on the Bayeux and helped him with the shrimping and helped look after the business and the money. He talks about you a lot. Now I know that he always says that Bubba was his best good friend but you're more than that to him. Truth is, you're the closest thing to a daddy he ever had. I know he drives you crazy sometimes, I know be cause he does the same to me but that's how I know that you love him too, because no matter how mad he makes you, you always come back, you're always there for him when he needs you. And he needs you now.

I've done a lot of bad things in my life, a lot of stupid things and every time I tried to run away from what I'd done I just ended up back where I started. I've only ever done two good things in my life, one of them was marrying Forrest and the other was giving him Little Forrest to have in his life for the rest of forever. Maybe those things cancel out the bad ones; I don't know. The one thing I do know is that these last few months are the happiest I've ever been and if that doesn't count for something then I don't know what does.

The only thing that could make me happier right now is knowing that both my boys are going to be safe and loved after I'm gone and I think I can rely on you to make sure that happens.

Yours affectionately, Jenny Gump (Mrs)."

After he read that letter Dan cried some more.

A month or so later Dan and Susan took a trip out to Greenbow to visit Forrest and his little boy. One evening while Susan was putting Little Forrest to bed the two men went for a short walk in the twilight. Dan was a little surer on his feet these days but he stilled walked slowly and leant heavily on his cane but for once in his life Forrest was in no hurry to go anywhere.

After a while they came up one the willow tree where Jenny was buried. They stood there in silence for some minutes.

"I sure do miss her," whispered Forrest eventually, eyes fixed on the black shape of the willow against the purple sky.

"I'm sure she misses you too Forrest."

The younger man's lip had begun to tremble slightly, although he clenched his jaw to try to hide it. The bright silvery light of the moon showed the tears in his eyes.

Dan reached out and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Hey," he said softly making Forrest look at him. "You're a good man Forrest. You were a good son and a good husband and you're a good father and I'm sure Jenny and you're momma are up there in Heaven watching you. And they are so proud of you Forrest, they are so proud."

"They are?"

"They are."

Forrest looked down to the ground as though taking this in.

"Lieutenant Dan," he said after few seconds.

"Yes Forrest?"

The younger man looked back up at his former officer. The moonlight was full on his face now and Dan could see that although the tears weren't entirely gone from his eyes there was a question there as well.

"Are you proud of me Lieutenant Dan?"

It was only a whisper but Dan heard it in the stillness of the field. It was a question that he'd never thought Forrest would ask him, one that a few short years ago he would have been incapable of asking and one that up until then Dan wasn't sure he could have answered. But here and now he did have an answer for him. His hand tightened a little on Forrest's shoulder.

"I can honestly say that I have never been prouder of anyone than I am of you."

He hadn't quite been expecting the hug that Forrest gave him then and it knocked him off balance a little but he righted himself and put a comforting arm around the young man who was now sobbing into his shirt like a little boy. He patted his back affectionately and looked over his head to where the moon glanced off the branches of the willow.

"It's okay," he murmured soothingly. "I'm right here."

He could see the dark shadow of the grave marker at the foot of the tree and nodded to it with a tight jaw.

"And I'm not going anywhere."


End file.
